With the intention of returning to Russia, Navalny accuses Putin of being behind his poisoning

In his first published interview since leaving the German hospital where he received treatment, prominent Russian opponent Alexei Navalny accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his poisoning, while the Russian state Duma accused Navalny of working for the intelligence services. Westerners.

“I confirm that Putin is behind this work, I don’t see any other explanation,” Navalny told German magazine Der Spiegel, in excerpts from the interview published on its website by the magazine on Thursday.

“It is my duty to remain as I am, someone who is not afraid, and I am not afraid,” added the most prominent opponents of the Kremlin.

According to the German magazine, in the interview, the full text of which will be published later today, he confirmed his intention to return to Russia after his recovery.

For his part, the head of the Russian state Duma on Thursday accused Navalny of working for Western intelligence services, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin “saved his life” and had no intention of poisoning him.

“Navalny is not ashamed, he is malicious. Putin saved his life,” Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement.

Navalny, 44, fell seriously ill on August 20 on a return flight from Siberia, where he went to support opposition candidates in local elections.

Russian doctors who treated him for the first time said their tests did not reveal any toxic substances.

He was transferred to Germany on August 22 in a coma and was breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Navalny was discharged from the Charité Hospital in Berlin a month after his entry into Anatolia

Try and deny

Germany announced that its toxicology tests showed the presence of the nerve poison Novichok, which was developed in the Soviet era. France and Sweden independently confirmed the results of the German tests.

The Kremlin denied allegations of its involvement in the poisoning and accused Western leaders of launching a disinformation campaign about the opposition leader’s illness.

Navalny was released from the Charité Hospital in Berlin, a month after his admission, and doctors said he would make a full recovery.

Since coming out of his coma, Navalny has been active on social media, posting a photo of him sitting on a bench in Berlin and writing on Instagram last week that his road to a full recovery is still a long way off and that he will need rehab.

“The plans are always simple: a physical therapist every day, maybe a rehab center, standing on one leg, restoring full control of my fingers, maintaining balance,” he wrote.